Downtown St. Paul is struggling. How will city leaders fix it?

Plus: Why workers are suing the shuttered Kim’s in Uptown [Plus: Why workers are suing the shuttered Kim’s in Uptown] View this email as a [web page]( [The Minnesota Star Tribune](   [Essential Minnesota logo] ESSENTIAL MINNESOTA [Essential Minnesota logo] ESSENTIAL MINNESOTA Good morning, Minnesota! Today's main story reminds me that I need to pay downtown St. Paul a visit. That's where you can find one of the best old fashioneds in the state. I might tell you about it sometime 🥃 On to the news 📢 [Eder Campuzano] By Eder Campuzano TODAY’S TOP STORIES - //t.e2ma.net/click/74dnz4c/3hp1m0/zese75sb[General Mills to sell its North American yogurt business, including Yoplait, for $2.1 billion]( - [Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has not said abortion in ninth month is ‘absolutely fine’]( - [Minnesota’s biggest arts prize of $100K goes to social justice leader whose artwork calls for change]( - [Happy fall: 41 Twin Cities-area apple orchards that are ripe for picking]( - [Yuen: Is there more wiggle room in the ‘shoes-off’ debate?](   Downtown St. Paul is struggling as beloved restaurants close and buildings sell at a discount Alex Kormann/The Minnesota Star Tribune What would it take to resurrect a floundering urban core? People. And lots of 'em. That's why the Downtown Alliance in St. Paul wants to triple the number of folks living in the city center. With office workers no longer guaranteed to patronize the many businesses that fed them and provided the services necessary to run an afternoon errand or two, the city needs to figure out how to increase foot traffic if Minnesota's second-largest city is to thrive. “I’m quite confident and quite bullish and energized — even though I acknowledge that some of these transitions are going to be hard, are going to be scary, and they’re going to be painful for folks,” Downtown Alliance President Joe Spencer said. “At the end of the day, they’re going to be just kind of the tough moments we go through to transform to a much better downtown on the other side.” Tales of restaurant closures, run-down buildings and storied real estate struggling to sell prompted reporter Katie Galioto to dig into how city leaders plan to address St. Paul's woes. Read her latest story below, plus a couple of pieces that will put things into context. Related coverage - [Downtown St. Paul is having a moment — but not a good one]( - [Downtown St. Paul’s largest property owner says the city’s core is in ‘crisis’]( - [Downtown St. Paul property owners OK expansion of privately funded safety services]( [Read More](     GOING OUT - [Local chefs share fall apple recipes]( - [It’s booya season: Where to find these once-a-year events]( - [Famed artist Dyani White Hawk’s new sculpture celebrates community and continuity](   [Share this newsletter with friends]( Do you enjoy Essential Minnesota? Encourage your friends and family to [sign up](. You also can share it using the links below.   Union representing Kim's workers files with NLRB Two months after workers unionized at Kim's, the much-vaunted new Uptown venture from James Beard Award-winning chef Ann Kim, the restaurant closed abruptly. The restaurant cited "ongoing financial losses" in an Instagram post announcing the closure. But union leaders say they asked for proof of those losses, to no avail. Now, they've filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board. Louis Krauss has more details about the legal filing and a [breakdown of the saga here](. Aaron Lavinsky/The Minnesota Star Tribune MORE FROM THE MINNESOTA STAR TRIBUNE - [Golf’s popularity remains after pandemic surge, good news for Bloomington-based Toro]( - [Is the design for HCMC’s new parking ramp going in the right direction?]( - [St. Paul could limit new fast food drive-thrus as planners discuss zoning changes]( THIS WEEK IN NATURE Tom Wallace/The Minnesota Star Tribune Keep an eye out for bullsnakes. The slithering critters, also known as gopher snakes, are headed toward hibernation like the rest of their reptile brethren. It's also your last chance to spot a monarch butterfly as the insects prepare for their annual migration to Mexico. All this and more in today's edition of This Week in Nature. You can [find the feature here](. IN OTHER NEWS - [5 things to know about L2 at Tii Cup, Uptown’s new spiked boba speakeasy]( - Racket - [Closest congressional race in Minnesota has Craig and Teirab trading jabs — with control of Congress at stake]( - MinnPost - [Annual Fiesta Latina will fill St. Paul’s East Side with sounds, flavors of Latin America](- Sahan Journal     THE MINNESOTA GOODBYE u/kevinbevindevin via Reddit The rains from this summer aren't done with us just yet. Reddit user kevinbevindevin recently snapped this frame of the flooded tunnel on the bike trail around Bde Maka Ska. A kayak would have an easier time navigating the lane than a bicycle, it seems. Click or tap on the image for the rest of the post, which also features a nice landscape shot of the lake looking a little more full than it did at this time last year. Sounds like we could all use a good pair of flood pants — your feet might be soaked, but your cuffs will be bone dry. [Everything's comin' up Milhouse](! Thanks for reading Eder Campuzano, reporter David Taintor, editor     [Premium digital access] GET IMMEDIATE ACCESS TO EVERY STORY [Premium digital access] GET IMMEDIATE ACCESS TO EVERY STORY [Subscribe]( SHARE THIS NEWSLETTER [Email]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Manage email preferences]( • [Subscribe to Star Tribune]( • [Privacy Policy]( [Unsubscribe from this newsletter]( [Manage]( your preferences | [Opt Out]( using TrueRemove™ Got this as a forward? [Sign up]( to receive our future emails. View this email [online](. 650 3rd Ave. S. Suite 1300 | Minneapolis, MN 55488 US This email was sent to {EMAIL}. To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book.